The present invention relates to a multi-compartment combination package and stirrer. This invention relates to the individual service packaging and dispensing of sugar, non-dairy creamer, coffee, tea and the like.
Heretofore, there have been a number of attempts to provide more convenient individual service package and dispensers for sugar, non-dairy creamer, or other flavor additives with coffee, tea or other beverages. These attempts have not been fully successful because individual portion packages of each item was provided, or a satisfactory stirring device was not provided or was provided separately. The cost of portion packaging of these separate items and then wrapping sugar, non-dairy creamer, and stirring device, and the like into a combined single dispensing package has exceeded the convenience feature for nearly all vendors including airlines, restaurants, and carry-out shops.
Other devices which have been proposed to provide a package combined with a functional use such as a straw with an ingredient contained therein have had only a single compartment and were not capable of being used as a stirrer in hot beverages. Such combined type packages were also difficult to open and became soggy and limp after being placed in warm liquid. Further, the cost of providing a combination package into a pouch spoon like device makes this approach competitively unattractive with conventional portion packaging of separate additives and an individual stirrer. Further, this costly approach is not compatible with existing conventional packaging methods and equipment.
An object of this invention is to provide a multi-compartment package which will allow a vendor to separately package sugar and non-dairy creamer or the like, inside the package and which the package itself can be utilized as a stirrer of the additives into either a hot or cold beverage.
A specific object of this invention is to eliminate the necessity of separate individual packages of additives and a stirrer for a single beverage. Another object of the subject invention is to provide a multi-compartment package for which each compartment can be easily opened and drained fully of ingredients.
Another object is to provide a single multi-compartment package for powder, granular, or liquid ingredients and said combined package and stirrer can be manufactured economically and printed at high speeds with a minimum amount of machinery. It is a further object to provide a multi-compartment combination package and stirrer which can be filled and sealed with conventional packaging methods. A further object is to provide a multi-compartment package which, when filled, can itself be efficiently nested and packaged economically in a larger container for mass distribution.
A further unique feature of the present invention is to provide capability to be printed with instructions, advertisements, or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-compartment package for which such printing can be accomplished at low cost during in-line manufacture in continuous web form by conventional printing methods at high speeds.
Still a further object to provide a multi-compartment tubular shaped package for which there can be alternative cross sectional shapes to a round tubular design and which the shape and size of the final multi-compartment package can be easily customized to meet the varying needs of packagers. Another object of this invention is to provide a multi-compartment package which can be manufactured economically of alternative materials such as: cardboard, paper, biodegradable paper, heat sealable plastic, thermo plastic; or other suitable and satisfactory materials.
This invention possesses other objects and features of advantage which will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.